I enjoy giving tradition a new twist so when a Vietnamese friend served me some vegetables in a lettuce cup I thought I would try that idea on Somali food. Combining meat and salad seemed like a good way to go and my suqaar lettuce cup recipe was born.
These gluten-free pancakes are made from teff, an ancient grain from Ethiopia that is becoming very popular as a ‘super food’ as poor quinoa is being asked to step aside. Teff has been a staple food for centuries in the horn of Africa where it is used to make injera, a flatbread.
Turn over a new leaf with this delicious cabbage curry. Well, I did! I tried something different by incorporating two flavours that I normally don’t use—Kashmiri chilli and toasted sesame seeds.
I love chickpeas and these savoury pancakes are another way to share my love for this versatile vegetable. Plus they are vegan and gluten free.
The title says it all—no bake, just three ingredients and you get a delicious chocolate overload within 25 minutes. And it is super easy to make. My son, Issa and I had fun making the fudge and even more fun eating it!
Hodan Nalayeh is not only an internationally renown and respected media personality and public figure, this Somali-Canadian mother of two is also a passionate cook.
Despite a hectic schedule filming and broadcasting stories about Somalis from around the world on her much loved Integration TV, Hodan still finds time to cook up a storm in her kitchen. She shares her special canjeelo recipe with us. We tried it with a smear of nutella – delicious!
You show me one person who doesn’t love a good risotto and I will…okay I won’t do anything other than promise you that this version will convert them!
Cambuulo (ambulo) is a famous Somali dish usually served with sesame oil and a drizzle of sugar. It can be a mix of rice and adzuki beans or any kind of beans or lentils, corn and beans or sometimes just adzuki beans. Cambuulo is usually eaten for supper.
Shushumow, a crisp, deep fried shell shaped pastry made with flour, eggs and water is a sweet made during festive times such as weddings and religious celebrations among the Somali people.
The inspiration for this recipe came from one of my favourite chefs, vegan guru Tal Ronen who likes to use ancient grains. Tapping into my own ancient Horn of Africa heritage with its African and Middle Eastern influences I have used hulled millet, pomegranate and added ingredients that I don’t usually use such as black quinoa and artichokes.